Matthew Inman and the Tesla Museum Campaign

The man behind the Internet-famous Oatmeal comics, Matthew Inman, has a new idea: building a Tesla museum. Using the IndieGoGo crowdfunding website, he writes:

Tesla’s final laboratory is located in the sleepy town of Shoreham, New York. It’s known as Wardenclyffe and it’s where Tesla attempted to build a tower that would provide free wireless energy to the entire earth. Unfortunately, Tesla lost his funding before the project was completed and in 1917 the Wardenclyffe tower was demolished. Subsequently, the land was sold to a film and paper manufacturer.

However, the land, laboratory, and foundation beneath the tower are still there and very recently went up for sale. And right now a non-profit is trying to buy the property and turn it into a Nikola Tesla Museum. The property is listed at $1.6 million, and this non-profit has received a matching grant from New York State of up to $850k. This means that if we can raise $850k, New York State will match us for that same amount — putting the total raised at $1.7 million.

There is currently another offer on the table from someone who wants to purchase the property potentially tear it down or turn it into a retail establishment. There is no Tesla museum in the United States, despite Tesla’s extraordinary accomplishments. If we can outbid this other person and buy the land it will permanently be protected as a historic site and eventually converted into a Nikola Tesla Science Center.

The most revealing fact is that the IndieGoGo account for the campaign is linked directly to the bank account of the non-profit organization associated with saving this Tesla property.

I have no doubt the project will meet its campaign goal of $850,000. Less than 24 hours into it, more than $300,000 has been raised!